Photo: Jim Shea. Published by Asylum Records / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Andrew Gold is one of those genius behind-the-scenes craftsmen who also happened to write a couple of songs everyone on earth has heard. "Thank You for Being a Friend" is so woven into pop culture that most people don't even know there's a real songwriter behind it, which is a little tragic and very Andrew Gold. His work backing Linda Ronstadt shows just how deep his musicianship ran. I have a soft spot for these melodic, sun-drenched 1970s California pop records, and Gold's fingerprints are all over that sound. An underrated talent gone too soon.
Overview
Andrew Gold (August 2, 1951 - June 3, 2011) was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Burbank, California. He is best known for his 1977 hit "Lonely Boy" and "Thank You for Being a Friend," the latter widely recognized as the theme to the sitcom The Golden Girls. A sought-after session musician, he contributed extensively to Linda Ronstadt's recordings and other major artists' work.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Andrew Gold
- Name (Japanese)
- アンドリュー・ゴールド
- Reading
- あんどりゅー・ごーるど
- Born
- August 2, 1951 – June 3, 2011
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Leo / Rabbit
- Origin
- Burbank, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- Guitarist / Singer / Singer-songwriter / Music producer / Recording artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Guitarist — see all → · Singer — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.